


Family Isn't Always Deemed by Blood, but Sometimes by Choice

by blackfin



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Minor Violence, OHANA MEANS FAMILY, Parenthood, and deciding those kids are now your kids, and family is finding a bunch of orphan kids, finding yourself a family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 12:13:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11313153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackfin/pseuds/blackfin
Summary: Adventuring often leads to stumbling across unfortunate, devastating discoveries but sometimes, there is a silver lining. During their traveling throughout the land of Hyrule, now freed from Calamity Ganon's terror, Sidon and Link slowly build a family made up of adopted children they rescue from the still harsh, unforgiving world





	Family Isn't Always Deemed by Blood, but Sometimes by Choice

**Author's Note:**

> Written in response to a prompt on tumblr which requested the duo with children  
> These will be a series of continuing oneshots with about one or two focusing on each child   
> This has been cross posted on my tumblr, s-aizo   
> Kudos and comments are much appreciated!

Sometimes, it hurt more than he could verbalize that no matter how hard he worked to keep the world peaceful, safe and happy, there would always be some evil, lurking somewhere, waiting to maim and kill.

Sitting at the edge of the river, Link gazed, unfocused, at the quick moving grey water. His eyes occasionally catching glimpses of the fish swimming hard against the current, their scales catching hints of the soft moonlight, glimmering like stars underneath the surface. Overhead, the sky was free and clear off all clouds. Hanging lazily, high in the sky, was the immense white moon, its face turned towards the earth in a constant, silent stare. The night was still with the only occasional chirp of a nearby insect and the undertone of noise from the rushing river. He supposed that most people would look around, pull in a deep breath of the chilly air and make a comment about what a peaceful, pleasant night it was.

Though, there was no doubt that that perception would change once they turned their gazes to what was behind him. 

Glancing over his shoulder, a cold shiver ran down his spine at the scene of wreckage behind him. What had been once most likely a small, humble hut was now just a pile of splintered ruins. Something at some point had caught fire, charring some of the flimsy beams to black and destroying nearly all trace of the tightly woven reeds that had probably made up the roof. Scattered about the site were the shattered remains of everyday life: cookware, clothing, scraps of food, books, fishing supplies and hand carved, wooden toys. In the air was a stench of rot and fire - it was overwhelming but not an odor he was unused to.

His eyes found their shapes, despite protests from his mind that he didn’t want to look again. Lying beside the wreckage were the remains of the three Zora that had lived here. He had covered their faces best he could with the scraps of fabric he had been able to find but they were still left out in the open, exposed and vulnerable. Guessing from their level of decomposition, he would guess that they hadn’t been dead for long; two days at the most. As for what had killed them, he couldn’t say for certain. Each had different types of wounds, indicating that there had been multiple assailants but that ruled out nothing and only added questions. He didn’t recall hearing anything about Yiga Clan members in the area, though they were gifted at keeping themselves out of sight and unknown, nor had any reports of bandits reached his ears. Monsters couldn’t be ruled out either - while their numbers were dwindling, that had only caused them to become more brazen so it wasn’t out of the question that they would wander this far in-land. 

Regardless, whomever or whatever did this, they had no place in Hyrule. His gaze traveled down to the smallest body - a child, probably no more than 9, 10 yrs in Hylian age. Someone...something had put a blade right through his chest. They would have had to been looking straight into his eyes as they did...looking down into the eyes of a terrified, crying child as they impaled him. A surge of anger, white hot and tasting of bitter bile, roared in his chest. His free hand clenched into a fist as tears burned at the corner of his eyes. Curling instinctively around the small bundle in his arms, he choked back a sob. It wasn’t as though he truly believed that all evil had been eradicated from the world. That...he knew would never be a reality and all he could do was his best to keep the world as safe as possible but, even knowing that, it didn’t stop the pain. Calamity Ganon was gone! The world was supposed to be safer! Each day, the population of monsters dwindled, the Yiga Clan was becoming quieter by the moment, the land was repopulating so how?! How could this had happened?

His arm instinctively tightened around the bundle he cradled close to his chest, prompting a soft, displeased noise to issue from within it. Jumping slightly, he ripped his gaze away from the sight of devastation behind him, took a deep breath, loosened his hold and let his head drop down until his chin was resting against his chest. Exhausted didn’t even come close to explain how he felt. He wanted nothing more than to just lie down somewhere, curl up into a ball and let himself fall into a dark, empty sleep. Though, he knew he wouldn’t be that lucky. Without a doubt, only two scenarios awaited him: sleep plagued by nightmares or the night spent looking up at the ceiling, his mind hyper focused on the image of the wreckage and the still shapes that lay beside it.

“Link.” A soft, familiar spoke from somewhere above him.

Starting, he slowly raised his head up to discover Sidon standing in front of him. The Zora Prince had clearly just gotten out of the water as small droplets ran along his skin, dripping down onto Link and the sandy ground. Unsurprisingly, Sidon’s face wore an expression of slack jawed shock, his eyes focused solely on the wreckage before him. Without a word, he strode around Link, walked over to the deceased Zora and dropped to his knees beside them. Swallowing against the lump that had risen in his throat, Link turned away, gently squeezed the bundle in his arms and ignored the tears streaming down his cheeks.

“What happened?” Sidon quietly asked, his voice holding barely constrained anger.

“I don’t know.” Link replied haltingly, “It was like this when I showed up.”

Tense, deafening silence fell over them. Reaching up to brush away the traces of tears that had fallen, Link cleared his throat quietly enough so it, hopefully, didn’t seem like he was trying to get Sidon’s attention and let his eyes unfocus as he waited for the Zora Prince to speak again. In the meantime, he let the sounds of the river rushing down it’s path fill his mind. He could understand why the Zora family had picked such a spot to make their home. Just from his short time here, he could tell it was a fantastic place to fish. Not to mention, the view was fantastic and there were enough trees around to provide ample shade. It probably had seemed like a perfect place to raise a family - safe, chock full of potential food, with a beauty that no one could lift their nose at. 

“Goddamnit.” He snarled underneath his breath, fresh tears running from his swollen eyes. If he ever found what or who had done this to him, he was going to rip them apart with his bare hands. He wouldn’t stop until what remained of them mirrored the carnage behind him. 

Sniffing hard, he turned his head slightly as he sensed Sidon approach. There was the sound of shuffling before the Zora Prince sat down heavily beside him, his head bowed in mourning. His expression was neutral but Link knew him well enough to recognize the subtle hints of just how badly this was affecting him: the dullness in his usually bright, vibrant eyes, the way his mouth was turned down into a harsh, thin line, and just the way he held himself - hunched over, muscles clenched tightly, every inch of him tense. Carefully scooting closer to him, Link pressed his shoulder against his side, sighing in relief when Sidon leaned down to press a kiss against the top of his head.

“We need to return to Zora’s Domain.” Sidon said stiffly, his voice shaking.

Link nodded, though made no move to get up. Now that Sidon was here with him, his exhaustion had doubled, making it hard just to keep his eyes open. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to curl up close to his side and stay there for a century. One of Sidon’s muscular arms snaked around his waist, tugging him easily into his lap. Snuggling close to his chest, Link let out a long, shaky breath as Sidon’s arms closed around him. For several moments, they simply stayed like that, silently comforting the other with their presence. Tears slid down his cheeks, dripping down onto the bundle in his arms. Sidon was shaking, though whether it was from grief, rage or the combination of both, he couldn’t say. Reaching up with his free arm, he gently took one of Sidon’s large hands into his own, entwined their fingers together and squeezed. He heard the Zora Prince let out a shuddering breath before his embraced tightened.

Being squeezed even more closely to Sidon’s body caused the bundle held in his arms to immediately let out a soft sound of protest. Jolting in surprise, feeling slightly guilty for completely forgetting just what he held in his arms, Link slid an inch away from Sidon, far enough where he could clearly see what he was holding, offering up an apologetic look in response to his confused one, and said, “Sorry, I meant to tell you the moment you arrived but,” he chuckled sadly, “this entire thing has made it hard to think straight.”

With Sidon still looking at him confusedly, Link shifted the bundle a little so the Zora Prince could see better before shifting the soft cloth aside to reveal what, or rather, who was inside. Held in his arms, wrapped up safe and snug in what he was certain was either a blanket or a dish towel was an infant Zora, probably no more than a few months old. The little one had fallen asleep a while before Sidon had arrived, though now that cool night air was hitting his face, he slowly opened his eyes, blinked blearily before yawning widely, showing off his pink, soft gums yet to house the Zora trademark sharp teeth.

“I found him under some rubble.” Link explained, brushing the backs of his finger along the baby’s smooth forehead. “He was in what looked like a crib of sorts that was covered with a blanket. I think someone must have tried to hide him, and it worked. I almost didn’t find him, he was so quiet when I arrived - luckily, I knocked something over near where his crib was and that got him screaming. I dug him out, got him some water and immediately sent that call out to you.”

“Is he hurt?” Sidon asked breathlessly, reaching down to lightly stroke one of the baby’s fins, his large hands trembling.

“No, I don’t think so. Dehydrated and hungry, but otherwise okay. Little guy stopped screaming the moment I picked him up, hasn’t made hardly a peep since.”

The Zora Prince was quiet for a moment, his thumb gently brushing along the length of the baby’s small fins before asking, his voice strangled and thick with repressed sobs, “Can I hold him?”

“Of course!” Link immediately clumsily got onto his knees, shuffled forward and offered the tiny bundle to Sidon.

Placing the baby carefully into his muscular arms, he made sure he was secure before leaning back. Sidon fumbled for a moment, clearly unaccustomed to holding an infant, which the little guy clearly sensed as he began to flail in alarm, letting out soft mews of distress before the Zora Prince finally seemed to get him into a good position, cooing comfortingly to him as he held him close to his chest. Sharp pain began to spike in his chest as Link tried to focus on anything other than the obvious agony in Sidon’s eyes, the way his lips were trembling and how much his voice was quivering.

“It’s alright, little one.” Sidon breathed, his mouth tilting in what looked like an attempt to smile, “I’ve got you, I’m not going to let anything happen to-”

The Zora Prince’s voice cracked. Bowing his head, his shoulders bounced hard as a sob ripped its way from his throat. A sickening jolt rushed through Link’s body. Leaning forward, he placed his hands on Sidon’s arm as he hunched over, cradling the infant close. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he struggled to think of something to say, something that could of some comfort to his beloved Sidon but his mind could think of nothing. He understood perfectly what the Zora Prince was feeling - the absolute devastation of holding a child who had his entire family stolen away from him before he was even old enough to remember their faces. Because of someone’s or something’s cruelty, he would spend the rest of his life never knowing them. Not even old enough to hold up his own head and he was completely alone in the world.

His heart clenched in his chest. Squeezing his hands into tight fists, fingernails a little too long digging hard into his skin, he slumped against Sidon, tears streaming down his face as he pressed close to the comforting feeling of the Zora Prince’s skin. Struggling to hold back the sobs pressing hard at the back of his throat, he wrapped his arms about Sidon’s waist and squeezed tightly. Obviously picking up on both his and Sidon’s distress, the baby began to cry as well. His loud wails echoed through the still night, disturbing a flock of birds on the other side of the river. For several moments, neither of them could react, too overwhelmed by their own pain. It was Sidon who moved first. Still gasping with sobs, tears running from his golden eyes, he straightened his back, wrapped one arm snugly around Link and began to gently hush the little one. Struggling to get his own grief under control, Link reached over to brush his trembling fingers along the curve of the baby’s head.

Moving closer, he leaned down slightly and whispered, “It’s alright, it’s okay. Shhhh, shhh, shhh, everything's okay.”

It didn’t take long to quiet him, with both Sidon and Link gently cooing at him, he seemed to calm down in no time at all. Wiping snot away from his mouth, Link let out a long, shaky breath. His head was pounding, his eyes felt itchy and what little energy he had left was now completely gone. The baby was having an easier time staying awake than he was. Leaning back, he looked up at Sidon, “You okay?”

The Zora Prince was silent for a moment, his expression pained, before slowly shaking his head, “No, I’m not.” Reaching forward, he gently wiped away the tears from Link’s cheeks, “And I imagine you aren’t either.”

“No,” Link replied honestly, “not even close. What do we do now?”

“We go back to Zora’s Domain. My Father needs to be alerted to this attack so we can spread the word to other settlements and advise them to be on alert. And I want one of our healers to check him out as soon as possible. He seems alright, but I don’t want to take any risks.”

Nodding in agreement, Link shuffled backwards, shakily pushed himself to his feet then took a moment to make sure he wouldn’t fall back over when dizziness swamped him. Once the world had stopped tilting, he held his arms out to take the baby from Sidon so he could have an easier time getting up. Cradling him carefully in his arms, he hugged the little one to his chest, smiling wearily when the baby reached forward with his tiny hands to inspect Link’s chin. Turning his head so he could kiss one of those little fists, he cooed softly, “We’re going back to Zora’s Domain, and when we get there, I’ll be sure to find you the tastiest, yummiest food they have. Then, it’s a nice, soft, safe bed for you.”

“Healer first.” Sidon gently reminded him.

“Yes, yes but the promise of a nice bed and good food is much better than a promise of being poked and prodded by someone.”

With a slight smile, the Zora Prince nodded, “True.”

Standing up himself, Sidon turned to look at the scene behind them once more, his shoulders tense, his hands hanging uselessly by his side. Reaching forward, Link placed his hand on Sidon’s back and said softly, “There’s nothing more we can do here.”

Though the words were coming from his own mouth, he couldn’t place any conviction in them. He knew they needed to leave, that the best thing for them to do was go to Zora’s Domain but, at the same time, it felt wrong to leave the three behind. Left out in the open where any predator or scavenger could stumble across their bodies, no one and nothing to protect them, the act felt like a grave sin. But, they had the little one to look after and he knew strongly in his heart that his parents would have wanted him taken care of first. They had already departed the world - what happened to their bodies wasn’t as important as their son being safe.

“Sidon.” Link said firmly, reaching down to tug lightly on his arm.

“I know.” He replied softly. Pulling in a deep breath, he let it out slowly, whispered something that sounded like a short prayer before turning back around to face Link. There were fresh tears on his face. His golden eyes were solemn and pained. Leaning down, he bumped his forehead gently against Link’s, took in another deep breath and said, “I’ll carry you on my back. The Domain is some distance from here but the current goes in our favor.”

“Okay.” Stepping back, away from Sidon, Link moved towards the river, took a couple of cautious steps into it to make sure there wasn’t a sudden drop before turning back. The Zora Prince had followed after him and as he swam a little ways out, looking for the right place where Link could safely climb onto his back with the child in tow, Link let his eyes settle on the lifeless figures one more time. They had left this world not even knowing if their child was going to be safe. All they could do was hide him away and hope that someone found him before whatever had attacked them, starvation, dehydration or the elements could take him. He couldn’t even imagine how that must have been to experience...your life slipping away while your child lay helpless, unable to run or defend himself.

“Do you think their spirits are still here?” He asked softly.

“It’s possible.” Sidon replied, “We’ve seen before that those with strong attachments to this world, whether out of rage, love or duty, can stay behind to finish what they had started or do what they felt they needed to.”

Link was silent for a few moments, his eyes never leaving the Zora bodies before he called out, “I’ll protect him! I’ll keep him safe! I promise! I won’t-” his voice cracked, a lump raising once more in his throat as the tears he thought were dried up started to burn the corners of his eyes once more. Bowing his head, trying desperately to keep the tears from falling, he focused intently on the baby in his arms. The little one was looking up at him with tired eyes, though when their gazes met, he once again reached out towards Link’s face with his tiny hands. Sobbing silently, he let his eyes fall closed, tears slipping free from behind the confines of his lids. With trembling lips, he gasped out, “I won’t let anything happen to him. I swear that to you.”

There was no way for him to know whether his words were reaching them or just being carried away in the gentle breeze. All he could hope was that somewhere, somehow, they were at peace, knowing their son was safe. Clenching his teeth together tightly, he forced himself to turn away, leaving behind the destroyed home and family.


End file.
